A Ukrainian journalist was shot dead on Thursday by unidentified gunmen near his house in central Kiev, the country’s interior ministry said.

Oles Buzina was killed at 1.20 p.m. by two masked gunmen, who fired several shots from a car and fled, Xinhua news agency reported citing ministry spokesperson Julia Mustash.

Buzina, 45, worked as editor-in-chief at Ukraine’s Segodnya newspaper till March this year and was known for his pro-independence stance for eastern Ukraine regions and criticism of the current government.

It was not immediately clear whether Buzina’s death is related to his professional work. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has ordered the police to conduct a rapid and transparent investigation into the incident.